Bahrain pushes UN vote on Hormuz shipping, China opposes use of force

The European Union must scale up its Aspides naval mission to protect key maritime routes, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday after a call with more than 40 countries organized by British foreign minister Yvette Cooper to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“This waterway is a global public good. Iran cannot be allowed to charge countries a bounty to let ships pass. International law doesn't recognise pay-to-pass schemes,” Kallas wrote on X.

“Today, we looked at diplomatic, economic, and security measures to restore safe passage, alongside working with the shipping industry,” she added.

“The EU's Aspides naval mission has already assisted 1,700 ships in the Red Sea and must be scaled up. We cannot afford to lose another critical trade route,” Kallas said.

The Israeli military said on Thursday it had killed Mokarram Azimi, a commander of a surface-to-surface missile unit based in western Iran, during a recent operation.

In a statement, the military said Azimi had been responsible for multiple missile launches toward Israel.

It added that three battalion commanders from the same missile command were also killed in the strike, describing them as figures involved in directing projectile launches toward Israeli territory.

“We will continue to pursue all those who fire missiles at Israel—launchers, missiles and personnel,” the statement said.

US President Donald Trump posted a video of an airstrike hitting the B1 Bridge west of Tehran, saying, "The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow!"

"IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY!" he added.

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Sanctioned Iranian oil traders have increased profits from the war as US policy shifts allowed some Tehran-linked shipments to continue, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the operations and tanker-tracking data.

The report said traders, including Hossein Shamkhani, have been able to move crude through the Strait of Hormuz and benefit from higher global prices, despite earlier US action targeting his shipping network.

It added that a second network linked to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has also benefited from the waiver, citing people familiar with the trading activities.

Bloomberg said the US Treasury issued a temporary sanctions waiver allowing Iran-linked vessels to move and sell oil already loaded as of March 20, after the Justice Department moved to seize funds tied to Shamkhani’s network.

That helped Iranian oil, previously sold at a discount, trade at a slight premium to Brent crude, the report said.

The report said Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz has enabled its ships to transit while restricting flows from other producers in the Persian Gulf, contributing to supply shortages and higher prices.

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb in a call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday called for a diplomatic solution, urging an end to strikes and restoration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“A ceasefire and a diplomatic solution are urgently needed,” Stubb said on X.

“I emphasized the need to end the strikes on neighbouring countries and restore freedom of navigation in the Strait Hormuz,” he added.